Unique experiences in Paris for a 9 yr old
 

On November 25th, my mother and I will be taking my 9 yr old daughter to Paris for five nights to celebrate her upcoming 10th birthday. We will be taking her to the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Musee de L'Orangerie, Eiffel Tower and the Catacombs. Aside from these tourist sites, are there any unique experiences that we should aim for while we are there? She loves science fiction, fantasy, fashion and art.

Also, just like her mom, my daughter loves dessert! We plan on sampling our way across the city. If there are particular creperies, patisseries etc. that we should go to, I'd appreciate the suggestions.

When we first took out tween/teen daughters they loved a couple of things:

Musee de Cluny (with the famous unicorn tapestries and a host of other remains from the same age)

Exploring the Ile St Louis

Bateau Mouche ride on the Seine

Attending the ballet (but they both love dance)

Esp fun was getting to use their french to order in restaurants

I encourage you to have your daughter start at least basic conversational French if her school hasn;t done so yet - it will make her more comfortable with the whole experience

Angelina's of course! http://www.angelina-paris.fr/#/home/
She would love the African Chocolate Chaud and a Mont Blanc eclair. Hot chocolate like you have never had, and an eclair that is to die for, IMHO.

The Cité de Science in La Villette

The lower floor of the Opéra Garnier where all the opera costumes are on display

A fashion show at Galeries Lafayette

Deyrolles

But really, if it's her first time in Paris, it will all be unique.

At night, on the hour, the Eiffel Tower's lights twinkle. I would save the trip up the tower for after dark.

The Musee Grevin. Yeah, I know it would appear to be a tourist trap, but we have gone twice.

She may enjoy climbing the stairs to the top of Notre Dame to see the gargoyles and the view.

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Locati...de_France.html

Take her to the Jardin du Luxembourg and, at the pond, hire a toy boat for her to push around the pond. Perhaps explain to her that children have been doing this for hundreds of years.

Well, not really hundreds of years, they weren't allowed to do that until near the end of the 19th Century (sail boats in the Grand Bassin). I think one should try to avoid saying things about history if one doesn't know if they are true.

It may be old-fashioned, but a puppet show (guignol) in one of the parks would be unique, no doubt, but she might not be interested as it's in French and maybe too young. But it would be different and historical for the area (Luxembourg Gardens or Tuileries). http://www.marionnettesduluxembourg.fr/acceuil.html

I would think anything would be unique if she hasn't been there before. Hard to say if she would really like fashion museums at her age, but there are two good ones in Paris. I really like the one on ave Iena, but it's only open when there are special exhibits (is open now, I believe). The other one is attached to the Louvre. here is the one I like best http://palaisgalliera.paris.fr/

I would think about the Cirque d'Hiver which is special and in a historic building near the Bastille area. I would think that would be a lot of fun and they do have shows right now (on 11/27 and 11/30 at 2 and 5:15, more on 11/30, one in the am). Tickets are not super cheap, though. I guess circuses maybe aren't cheap in the US, either, any more. http://visitparis-cultureguide.paris...-show-e-958829

she might want to go on a balloon ride in parc andre citroen.

Oh for goodness sake Christina! Next time I'll defer to you first.

I think I'm dead. Seriously. From the excitement of all of these amazing suggestions! I just wish we had more time... I'll be sure to look into everyone's ideas though.

I took my young that age son to Paris many times (he was born and raised in France and lived near Paris) - things he liked and I like were sailing those remote control boats in the fountains at the Tuileries - Aqua Boulevard (https://www.google.com/search?q=aqua...=1600&bih=1075) - riding the above ground metros and 'RER Double" - fdouble decker RER trains = the big FerrishWheel often in the Tuileries by the Concorde and of course a boat ride on the Seine - canoeing at the Paris Zoo - in a large pond - and of course glace - a "deux boules" if not "three boules".

I will second the suggestions for the Cirque d'Hiver and for the fashion show at Galeries Lafayette. Here is a link for making reservations for the fashion show: http://www2.galerieslafayette.com/in...fontLang=latin

I took both of my older granddaughters (separately) to Paris when they were 10 and 11. We did the usual things, but one thing they both enjoyed was that I gave them maps, Metro and bus schedules, and asked them to figure out how to get from place to place. Neither had ever lived in a major city with good public transportation, so this was a new and different experience. They became very adept, very quickly, and felt quite good about their abilities to navigate around the city.

If you plan to visit Versailles, I recommend the wonderful book by Aliki, The King's Day, as background reading. One granddaughter and I went to Chartres and we had read together David Macaulay's wonderful book, Cathedral, in preparation for that visit. A video has now been made from that book as is available for viewing on YouTube.

As for museums, both found the Louvre somewhat overwhelming. Neither had a real interest in art, so we made our way around to see some of the world-famous works, after which each child chose which sections to visit. One chose the Egyptians, the other the Greeks and Romans.

One of the girls chased a sailboat many times around the basin in the Luxembourg Gardens. The other liked the fashion show at the Galeries Lafayette.

You have had lots of good suggestions above, and I know you and your mother will greatly enjoy introducing your daughter to a great city. I hope to be around long enough to do it again with my six and four-year-old granddaughters.

My kids just loved the whole experience of Paris. They really enjoyed the 3 course prix fixe menus where they got to choose their own special items.
St. Michel metro area alsohas street performances at night.

Our son's first visit to Paris was when he was 10. He was/is into art, so we visited the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay on that trip. He was familiar with some of the pieces beforehand, so we sought out those. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were still somewhat popular at the time, so we sought out pieces by all four artists - he liked that. And as I recall, one sculpture was somewhat hidden in the basement.

I made sure that his first view of the Eiffel Tower was at night, from a bateau mouche.

We set ourselves the task of getting macarons from various patisseries that we passed, and doing a taste test.

We read, together, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, so it was important to him to climb the Towers; it was very meaningful, after reading the book. He also wanted to see where Victor Hugo was buried, so we visited the Pantheon.

Christina- you must be great fun at pretties . . .

Kcapuani: lots of good suggestions above. I personally wouldn't take the bateaux Moche. IMO the vedettes du Pont Neuf are better. Smaller boats and less of a hassle.

If she likes desserts, how about a cooking class?

We did this one and the kids loved it -
http://www.cooknwithclass.com/cookin...or-kids-class/


If she's active, Fat Tire Bike Tours are fun -
http://paris.fattirebiketours.com/

Chocolate Tasting tour?
http://www.paris-walks.com/chocolate-walk.html

This was a fun scavenger hunt at the Louvre -
http://thatlou.com/

read my trip report - ours were similar ages and we were just recently there.

My young son enjoyed the mysterious of going thru the Catacombs - especially the eerie piles of zillions of skulls fashioned into walls!